Francisco J. Tinahones: The Doctor Who Dissects the Double Life of Fragmented Men

Medicine has given great names to literature, from Chekhov to Luis Martín-Santos and Pío Baroja. Now, another name is added to this illustrious list: Francisco J. Tinahones, head of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service at the Virgen de la Victoria University Clinical Hospital in Málaga. The publishing house Mascarón de Proa has released the doctor's second novel, a thriller titled 'Escape from the Fragmented Men', in which the doctor explores how humans "are capable of living in two antagonistic realities" through a character from his first work of fiction, 'Taró': Elviria.

"An accident, a computer, and a hidden truth," reads the book cover. "Elviria had everything under control: a solid life, a brilliant mind, and a well-built armor. Until Alberto enters her life... and disappears in a disturbing way. All that remains of him is a laptop. This gradually shows Elviria a labyrinth where nothing is as it seems and where each discovery brings her closer to a truth as dangerous as it is unexpected," the synopsis states.

The Protagonist

Elviria is the protagonist and, "although 'Taró' and 'Escape from the Fragmented Men' are narratively independent, they share this character. She was secondary in 'Taró' and most readers told me she was their favorite character." "I believe that in 'Escape from the Fragmented Men' I take a further step, inviting the reader to look beyond the obvious. Here I delve into emotional bonds, psychological fragility, and the masks we adopt to survive and to love," he specifies.

What is a fragmented man? "It is a fictional concept, there is no medical or psychological definition that explains this term: the male character in this novel is the definition," he points out, although he has been helped to build this character by Dominique Pelicot, "an impeccable family man and husband who hid the most abject perversion and lived with his two antagonistic realities."

He asserts that this new work is not a crime novel, but a thriller, "as it generates tension, suspense, and constant emotion in the reader." What interests him most, he explains, is "to delve into the psychological profile and evolution of the characters," adding that his narrative technique is based on generating in the reader, at the end of each chapter, "the desire to know what happens next: some zero readers who have read the novel have agreed that the uncertainty has led them to read it in one go."

"I provide clues to the reader to reach a conclusion: in medicine, the symptoms and signs that patients give us lead to the final diagnosis, there are similarities," says Dr. Tinahones

Are there similarities between the novel and medicine? "Doctors never stop writing stories, but in this case, they are clinical stories that must reflect reality very precisely, you cannot make them up. In literature, you also write stories, but you are free to create. And perhaps another similarity with this novel is that I provide clues to the reader to reach a conclusion, in medicine the symptoms and signs that patients give us lead to the final diagnosis," explains Dr. Tinahones.

Compulsive Reader

Literature has brought him a lot as a "compulsive reader of literature." "I do not understand literary creation without the desire to gratify readers, when someone tells you that they have enjoyed your stories, the sensation experienced by the author is hardly comparable," he adds.

Nevertheless, he finds it hard to define himself as a "writer," although he does recognize himself as a narrator who "dissects characters and delves into the complexity of the human being, that is the main objective, but I also aim to lighten the text with a story that keeps the reader's attention throughout the pages."

Before becoming a writer, the also scientific director of Ibima-Plataforma Bionand was a reader: "I have read everything, I believe we all carry stories inside us that deserve to be shared. Hardly ever do I find a novel that doesn't provide me with enjoyment and learning."